Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mark Cerny serves as the lead architect of the PlayStation console line and implemented a two-year feedback cycle after the launch of the PlayStation 4 to influence development priorities for the PlayStation 5.
The release date in North America was confirmed for the 12th of November 2020 during a game showcase presentation on the 16th of September 2020, with most of the rest of the world following on the 19th of November 2020.
Sony released a minor hardware revision known as the 1100 series in August 2021 featuring a smaller heatsink, followed by the 1200-series beginning shipping in August 2022 which included a die shrink of the SoC and further weight reduction.
By the 30th of June 2021, Sony had shipped 10.1 million consoles, indicating that nearly every shipped console had been sold as soon as it reached the market.
A price increase in the US took effect in August 2025 citing a challenging economic environment after previous increases in other markets due to global economic inflationary and supply chain pressures.